The invention described herein relates to food processing devices and to electromechanical spiral and helical cutting appliances and devices.
There are food processing apparatus of the type having a working bowl or jug or jar with a motor-driven shaft projecting vertically upwards through the bottom of the bowl. Various selected rotary tools can be engaged on and driven by the shaft for performing many different food processing operations as may be desired by the user. A detachable cover or lid is usually secured over the top of the bowl during use. The cover typically includes a chute or feed tube which has a mouth that opens downwardly through the cover into the top of the bowl. The food items to be prepared or processed may be placed in the chute and then are manually pushed down through the top chute passed the blade and into the bowl by means of a removable pusher or plunger member which is adapted to slide down into the inlet chute in the manner of a plunger. For further information and an example about this type of food preparing apparatus reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,485.
One type of food preparation is the cutting of vegetables, such as a tomato into slices or onions in to slices or into a diced form with some of these appliances being well suited for slicing a cucumber, carrot or potato into slices of uniform thickness. However, one of the challenges has been to cut these vegetables into spiral or helical forms with the use of an automatic food processor. The more inexpensive options provided to date have been mechanical or hand-cranked spiraling cutters but these take up counter or shelf space, are slow and require additional time for cleaning. Examples of appliances dedicated to forming helical or spiral vegetables are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,138,940 and 5,216,031 but are time consuming to use as the appliance can only process one vegetable (potato, cucumber, etc.) at a time. Specifically, the motor, which is located at the top as part of the cover, uses a drive disc that is attached to the food item to be spiraled and then the motor spins the vegetable over a stationary blade. Each time a food item has to be spiraled the top cover with the motor has to be removed and the next food item is then loaded onto the drive disc and then processed. It would therefore be advantageous to have an appliance that would provide for automatic spiraling or helical cutting of vegetables using an automated food processor configuration that is easy to use and clean after each use.